Directions for use: Start with one tablet with each meal until sensitivity to side effects can be guaged. Then raise to 2 tablets with every meal.

From Wikipedia:

Orlistat is a drug designed to treat obesity. It is marketed as a prescription drug under the trade name Xenical by Roche in most countries, and is sold over-the-counter as Alli by GlaxoSmithKline in the United Kingdom and the United States at twice the price Enhanced Athlete charges. Its primary function is preventing the absorption of fats from the human diet by acting as a lipase inhibitor, thereby reducing caloric intake. It is intended for use in conjunction with a healthcare provider-supervised reduced-calorie diet.[4]

The effectiveness of orlistat in promoting weight loss is definite but modest. Pooled data from clinical trials suggest that people given orlistat in addition to lifestyle modifications, such as diet and exercise, lose about 2–3 kilograms (4.4–6.6 lb) more than those not taking the drug over the course of a year.[7] Orlistat also modestly reduces blood pressure and appears to prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes, whether from the weight loss itself or to other effects. In a large randomized controlled trial, orlistat was found to reduce the incidence of diabetes by nearly 40% in obese people.[8]

Benefits aside, however, orlistat is notorious for its gastrointestinal side effects (sometimes referred to as treatment effects), which can include steatorrhea (oily, loose stools). They decrease with time, however, and are the most frequently reported adverse effects of the drug.[9] In the United States and the European Union, orlistat is available for sale without a prescription. Over-the-counter approval was controversial in the United States, with consumer advocacy group Public Citizen repeatedly opposing it on safety and efficacy grounds.[10]Generic formulations of orlistat are available in some countries. In Australia it is listed as an S3 medication and so is available over the counter in pharmacies.[11]

Medical uses

Orlistat is used for the treatment of obesity. The amount of weight loss achieved with orlistat varies. In one-year clinical trials, between 35.5% and 54.8% of subjects achieved a 5% or greater decrease in body mass, although not all of this mass was necessarily fat. Between 16.4% and 24.8% achieved at least a 10% decrease in body fat.[12] After orlistat was stopped, asignificant number of subjects regained weight—up to 35% of the weight they had lost.[12]

Side effects

The primary side effects of the drug are gastrointestinal-related, and include steatorrhea (oily, loose stools with excessive flatus due to unabsorbed fats reaching the large intestine), fecal incontinence and frequent or urgent bowel movements.[15] GlaxoSmithKline recommends that all users be cautious of the possible side effects until they “have a sense of any treatment effects”.[16][17] To minimize these effects, foods with high fat content should be avoided; the manufacturer advises consumers to follow a low-fat, reduced-calorie diet. Oily stools and flatulence can be controlled by reducing the dietary fat content to somewhere in the region of 15 grams per meal.[18] The manual for Alli makes it clear that orlistat treatment involves aversion therapy, encouraging the user to associate eating fat with unpleasant treatment effects.[19]

According to Roche, side effects are most severe when beginning therapy and may decrease in frequency with time;[14] this is supported by the results of the XENDOS study, which found that 36% of people had gastrointestinal adverse effects during their fourth year of taking orlistat, whereas 91% of study subjects had experienced at least one GI-related side effect during the first year of treatment.[8] It has also been suggested that the decrease in side effects over time may be associated with long-term compliance with alow-fat diet.[20]

Precautions

Absorption of fat-solublevitamins and other fat-soluble nutrients is slightly inhibited by the use of orlistat. A multivitamin tablet containing vitamins A,[29]D, E, K, and beta-carotene should be taken once a day, at bedtime, when using orlistat.[14]

Mechanism of action

Orlistat works by inhibiting gastric and pancreatic lipases, the enzymes that break down triglycerides in the intestine. When lipase activity is blocked, triglycerides from the diet are not hydrolyzed into absorbable free fatty acids, and instead are excreted unchanged. Only trace amounts of orlistat are absorbed systemically; the primary effect is local lipase inhibition within the GI tractafter an oral dose. The primary route of elimination is through the feces.

At the standard prescription dose of 120 mg three times daily before meals, orlistat prevents approximately 30% of dietary fat from being absorbed,[33] and about 25% at the standard over-the-counter dose of 60 mg.[34][35] Higher doses do not produce more potent effects.[12]

Legal status

Packaging of orlistat (Xenical) 120 mg capsules, as sold in Canada

Orlistat has historically been available by prescription only, and this situation continues in Canada. In Australia, the European Union,and the United States, certain formulations of orlistat have been approved for sale without a prescription.

In 2009, Roche began recruiting in Russia for a clinical trial of Xenical in obese teenagers between the ages of 12 and 14.[37]

Australia and New Zealand

In Australia and New Zealand, orlistat is currently available over-the-counter in 120 mg size (84 capsules to the pack). Initially available only with a prescription, it was reclassified as a “Pharmacist Only Medicine” in October 2003. In 2007 the Committee decided to keep orlistat as a Schedule 3 drug, but withdrew its authorization of direct-to-consumer Xenical advertising, stating this “increased pressure on pharmacists to provide orlistat to consumers…this in turn had the potential to result in inappropriate patterns of use”.[38] Xenical has recently[when?] began being advertised direct-to-customers again.

United States

On 23 January 2006, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted 11 to 3 to recommend the approval of an OTC formulation of orlistat, to be marketed under the name alli/ˈælaɪ/ by GlaxoSmithKline.[39] Approval was granted on 7 February 2007,[40] and alli became the first weight loss drug officially sanctioned by the U.S. government for over-the-counter use.[41] Consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen opposed over-the-counter approval for orlistat.[10]

Alli became available in the U.S. in June 2007. It is sold as 60 mg capsules—half the dosage of prescription orlistat.[10][41]

European Union

3 reviews for Orlistat Fat Blocker 120 x 60mg Tablets

Rated 2 out of 5

Clifton–May 23, 2017

When EA first released this product it worked. You could “see” the fat coming out of your waste. Unfortunately, that is not the case in this last batch that I received. I’m not sure if the formula was changed or the supplier or what. The pills don’t even look the same. They look to be about half the size of the older pills. I hope that it returns to the original state it was in, because that I would definitely give that 5 stars. Thanks for other great products EA! Love you guys!

Rated 5 out of 5

Jake L.–June 15, 2017

Works very good, almost too good haha. FDA approved and blocks 25% of fat I eat, use to help with my cheat meals

Rated 1 out of 5

Brandon Rodriguez–July 4, 2017

Didn’t work for me wish it would’ve but it didn’t, unfortunately waiting on my refund, we only received one product of the 2 we ordered.

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